When In (New) Rome
by Alexandra989
Summary: A collection of drabbles chronicling the lives of the demigods in New Rome. Takes place 1-2 years after Blood of Olympus.
1. Chapter 1

"Smile!"

Cameras flashed as Percy threw an arm around Annabeth and leaned in to kiss her, taking off his mortarboard. The other students whooped and catcalled but Percy and Annabeth, lost in the moment, ignored them. Sally smiled, wiping a stray tear from a corner of her eye as Paul put an arm around her waist. Next to her, Dr. Frederick Chase stood with his wife and sons, looking on with approval.

"I did it, mom!" Percy said, pumping a fist in the air as he made his way back to Sally. "Can you believe it? I actually graduated!" He gave a shout of laughter.

"Calm down, Seaweed Brain. You still have four more years of college," Annabeth pointed out, folding her arms and smirking at her boyfriend.

"Aw, come on, Wise Girl. Was that necessary?"

Sally hugged her son. "I'm so proud of you," she said, as Percy relaxed into her embrace.

Annabeth turned to her father, who patted her on the shoulder and nodded. "Baby steps, Annabeth. First high school, then college. You will learn a lot in college, trust me."

Mrs. Chase leaned forwards and pulled Annabeth into a quick, awkward hug. Annabeth had chosen to attend Goode High with Percy and put up at the Blofis-Jackson household. Thus, she hardly saw her father and the rest of his family, who were in San Francisco, though she did write to him often.

"Four years of college in New Rome doesn't seem so bad, though," Percy said, as he and Annabeth took a stroll around Goode. They hadn't exactly completely enjoyed their time there, what with the frequent monster attacks, but they had had each other and thatwas good enough. "I mean, four years with no monsters! How awesome is that?" Percy's green eyes shone.

Annabeth didn't reply. She lowered herself onto a bench, a distant look in her stormy grey eyes. Percy flopped onto the seat next to her and gave her a small nudge. "Hey, what's up?"

Annabeth's brows drew together. "The college in New Rome," she said. "I've never really thought about it up till now, but do you think they would accept just about anyone? What if they have a special selection criteria, and if we don't fulfill those, we wouldn't gain admission even if we were demigods? Plus, we're Greeks."

"Nah, there won't be such a thing," Percy said, waving a hand dismissively. "Besides, even if there is, I'm pretty sure you would meet all the criteria."

"We don't know-"

"Hey." Percy sat up and looked at Annabeth. "If you don't meet whatever criteria they have, then I'm betting three-quarters of the entire University of New Rome do not belong there."

Annabeth smiled. "Thanks, Percy. Anyway, have you decided on what you're going to take?"

Percy grinned. "Sur-"

Annabeth gave him a look. "Not a time to fool around, Seaweed Brain. There are no courses on surfing. Perhaps oceanography? Marine biology?"

"Do I look like the type of person to take marine biology?" Percy said.

Annabeth laughed. "What about..."

Percy leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips, silencing her. "Don't worry about me. I'll find the right thing, I'm sure."

#

Annabeth rubbed her eyes and read her personal statement again. Fortunately, with some guidance from special needs teachers, she had managed to overcome her dyslexia, but still retained her ability to read Ancient Greek. She had managed to fit as many of her accomplishments as she could into the essay, which she had written in Latin (having taken Latin in Goode High). Perhaps there would be a better chance of her getting in if she wrote it in New Rome's official language.

"But Reyna once told me that the university doesn't really care if you've been in a thousand battles or gone on a hundred quests," Annabeth said. "Tons of legionnaires do it every year. It's no big deal, really."

"Hey, we helped to defeat Gaea and save the entire world," Percy called from where he sat curled up on his bed. He and Annabeth had been sharing the same bed since she moved in, but they hadn't exactly done anything. Percy doubted his mother would be happy about it anyway. "But if it has to be related to Architecture, put in the bit about you rebuilding Olympus after the Titan War. They'll be begging you to enroll."

Annabeth glanced at the line in her essay. _The gods bestowed upon me one of the highest honors- to rebuild Olympus after the Second Titanomachy. It was both educational and exhilarating while it lasted, which was until the beginning of the Greek-Roman conflict._ It seemed impressive, but it was short, and could be lost in the huge amount of text about her adventures with the crew of the Argo II.

Tapping her pen on the desk, she pressed her lips together and frowned as she studied her personal statement. She wouldn't have a problem getting into an Ivy League, but Annabeth specifically wanted to attend college in New Rome, where she would be near her father in San Francisco, and more importantly, spend four peaceful monster-free years with Percy. Or as the Ancient Greeks put it, _philtatos_. Most beloved.

She felt warm hands, slightly calloused from the years of sword-fighting, resting on her shoulders. "Don't fret too much about it, Wise Girl," Percy whispered in her ear. "Sleep on it."

Annabeth reached up to touch one of Percy's hands, and suddenly it all seemed worth it. Whatever she had to go through to get into the college in New Rome, it would all be worth it as she would continue being with Percy.

Well, that was if...

"Hey!" Annabeth whipped around. "Have you finished your personal statement, Seaweed Brain?"


	2. Chapter 2

Nico glanced out of the classroom window, sunlight streaming through and warming his skin. Nico wished the teacher would allow him to pull the curtains as the warmth was becoming extremely distracting. All Nico could think about was a certain son of the sun god.

"Nico di Angelo!" Nico jumped at the sound of his name, his head whipping round to face the English teacher, and half the class, who were looking at him expectantly. The teacher tilted her head slightly, a sign that she had asked him a question and he had failed to listen, as usual.

"Uh... I'm sorry, I didn't really... catch that." Nico grimaced slightly. Half the class sniggered. Nico did his best to ignore them.

The teacher sighed. "I was asking, Nico, if you could kindly give us the name of a Greek god."

Nico raised his eyebrows. Oh. He hadn't realised the teacher had moved on to the subject of Greek mythology. "Hades?" he said. The class sniggered again.

"God of the dead, huh?" said a large guy at the back of the class. He reminded Nico of Butch, son of Iris, only this mortal boy loved picking on him. "Sounds pretty emo, just like you." He laughed.

Nico's hands balled into fists. "Hades is not the god of the dead," he spat. "He's the god of the Underworld, and it's Thanatos who rules over the dead."

"Oh, look, di Angelo is actually a geek!" the boy laughed, pointing at Nico.

"That's enough," the teacher snapped, before turning to face Nico. "Well done, Nico, that was spot-on. Though I would appreciate it more if you would make an effort to pay attention in class."

Nico lowered his eyes. Stupid sunlight. On the bright side, however, it wouldn't be long before he was done with this high school nightmare. Only about... a couple of years more? Nico sighed.

#

Roman architecture was almost similar to the Greeks', but Annabeth still couldn't stop marveling at the intricate carvings of the column heads and the grandeur of the University of New Rome's lobby. Romans her age bustled past, dressed in purple jackets with SPQR printed on them, chatting and laughing. As Annabeth was led down a corridor, she ran a finger along the detailed murals depicting the founding of the university. The University of New Rome had been designed with a brilliant combination of both modern and Roman architecture.

"So, Miss Chase, you would like to enquire about scholarships?" asked the counselor, as he sank into the seat opposite her. They were in a small room where counselors usually met prospective students and answered all their questions regarding the university. Not far off, Annabeth spotted another counselor explaining something to a mother and her son. Probably legacies, Annabeth thought.

"Yes. As you can see, I am Greek, and I am a little short on denarii at the moment," Annabeth began. She couldn't help feeling a pang of envy towards the others. Jason could receive free education if he wanted to, due to his position as former praetor and current Pontifex. Piper could, as well, as she was connected to Jason. Percy was former praetor, and thus he was also exempted from tuition fees. Annabeth may be connected to him, but Percy no longer was praetor, and thus she wasn't eligible.

"Well, we have a few scholarships," the counselor replied. "There are a few, fortunately for you, that will help cover your entire tuition fees. The Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano scholarship..."

"I'm sorry?" Annabeth said, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"The Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano Scholarship," the counselor repeated. "Set up by the university, named after our current esteemed praetor." The counselor slid Annabeth a brochure with a fierce photograph of Reyna on the front. "It will be awarded to candidates who possess similar traits to our praetor, such as excellent leadership, prominent battle skills and prodigious badassery."

"Does Reyna even know about this?" Annabeth had to hold a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from laughing out loud.

The counselor gave Annabeth a strange look. "Anyway, there is one more scholarship. It's a divine one, however, and requires authorization from a god. Awarded to candidates who have done a great service for the gods."

_Like something Percy did_, Annabeth thought. "What about rebuilding Olympus? Does that count?"

The counselor stared at Annabeth. "You rebuilt Olympus?"

_Some of these Romans can be pretty clueless_, thought Annabeth. She nodded. The counselor slid her a form. "Fill this up."

#

Annabeth entered the room and dangled the keys before Percy's eyes, making him jump a little.

"Whoa! What in Hades...?"

Annabeth smirked at her boyfriend's antics. She tossed the set of keys at Percy, who deftly caught it. "Our new, but temporary home in New Rome."

Percy looked up at Annabeth, grinning. "No way. You got that scholarship?"

Annabeth nodded, her grey eyes shining. "You were right. They were pretty impressed with the whole rebuilding-Olympus thing, especially since I'm applying for architecture. And my mom gave the green light, so now I have a house near the university where I'm allowed to stay as long as I'm still a student, a monthly allowance and my tuition fees completely covered."

Percy lunged from his bed towards Annabeth and kissed her. "What did I tell you, Wise Girl?" He grinned. "I get to share, right?"

"You ask the stupidest questions, Seaweed Brain."

"Isn't that why you love me?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help a small smile. "So, what are you taking?"

"Marine biology." Percy made a face. "I know, I know. Maybe I'll grow to like it, though. Maybe my dad can give me some tips or extra classes or anything of that sort."

"Seriously, Seaweed Brain?"

Percy smiled, but as he turned to look out of the window of his bedroom, the smile faded. "You know, when I was enquiring about marine-related studies, they suggested mechanical engineering."

Annabeth looked away.

"Man, Leo would've loved that."

"I know," Annabeth said, softly.


	3. Chapter 3

"So, how's high school?"

Nico jumped at the sound of his door opening all of a sudden, and turned in his chair to see Will Solace striding in as though he owned the place. Will had donned his Surf Barbados t-shirt and wore a pair of Hawaiian-themed shorts. His golden blonde hair was slightly ruffled, and he looked as though he had just rolled out of bed. A red tint stained Nico's cheeks, and he turned his back on the son of Apollo.

Will peered over his shoulder. "Homework?"

Nico bent forwards a little, hoping his form would cover his homework, which he was pretty sure was completely filled with incorrect answers. "How does one even survive high school?"

Will peeked beneath Nico's bowed head at his homework, receiving a deep scowl from the son of Hades. "Biology, huh? I can help you with that. I am a doctor, after all."

Alarm bells rang in Nico's head as Will pulled up a chair next to him. The desk was small, so Will got very close to Nico and peered closer at the Biology worksheet, his head only about two inches from Nico's head.

_What's wrong with you?_ Nico mentally chided himself. Though he and Will had started 'dating' several months after the war with Gaea ended, it always felt like the first time each time Nico set eyes on the son of Apollo.

"Okay, look, you have to have a firm understanding of this," Will said, picking up Nico's pen and pointing at one of the diagrams in the worksheet. _Think about biology, think about biology_, Nico mentally repeated. He fixed his eyes on the worksheet and had a staring match with the diagram while Will droned on.

#

Annabeth couldn't quite believe that she was in already college. It seemed only yesterday that she and Percy had been making plans to return to high school, and attend the college in New Rome after graduation.

Well, here they were.

Percy and Annabeth strolled across campus grounds, hand-in-hand, checking out the various booths that had been set up at the activities fair. "Look, it's their surfing club!" Percy pointed out a booth with blue canvas flapping in the wind and a toned guy dressed only in his swimming trunks posing next to a large surfboard.

Before Percy could head over there, however, they heard a familiar voice calling. "Percy! Annabeth! Over here!"

"That sounded like..." Annabeth began, turning around.

Jason stood not far off, jumping up and down while waving his arms in the air to get their attention. Next to him was a whitish-grey booth with Ionic columns about Jason's height made of papier-mâché standing on either side of it. The background of the booth was plastered with printed photographs of the gods' statues, and a hastily-written 'Pontifex Club'. The table in front of it had a stack of brochures with a mini model of a Roman temple placed on top, acting as a paperweight.

"Uh, Jason? Bro, what's going on?" Percy said.

"Join the Pontifex club!" Jason jerked a thumb towards his booth, grinning at Percy and Annabeth as he adjusted his glasses. "Members help out with Pontifex duties, such as erecting more shrines and temples for the gods, keeping erected shrines and temples clean, replenishing offerings, et cetera, et cetera."

"Jason, I thought you were supposed to do this on your own?" Annabeth asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jason sighed, a desperate look dominating his features. He lowered his voice a little, as though afraid Olympus might overhear. "It's just too stressful. Do you know how many gods are there? Both Greeks and Romans- they have a god for almost everything! Besides, I need someone to man the action figure store in New Rome."

"Wait, what?" Percy blinked. "Bro, you actually went ahead with the action figures idea? I thought that was just a joke, just to get Kym on our side?"

Jason shook his head. "That's why I've been too busy lately to hang out with you guys, but I had to go round getting merchandising rights from all the gods and listening to them rant about which action poses they looked best in. And I've only settled that with the major gods. Twelve down, about a million more to go. Hence, this." Jason pointed at his booth.

Before Percy or Annabeth could respond, a couple of freshmen walked past. Jason snatched up his stack of brochures and hurriedly blocked their path. "Join the Pontifex club! Help please the gods, and I'm sure they won't think twice when it comes to blessings!" Jason grinned hopefully, handing out the brochures.

Annabeth glanced at her boyfriend.

Percy spread his hands. "As much as I would like to help my bro Jason, I don't really want to spend my four years in college running around doing more errands for the gods. I think I've already done enough of that."

"Sorry, Jason," Annabeth said, as the son of Jupiter hurried over to them, having passed out more brochures. "But we could definitely help you if we have any extra time. Anyway, why don't you ask the Stoll brothers to help you with the store? They're applying to UNR as well, and I think running the action figure store is a much better activity for them than starting their own Looting Club."

As Percy walked past the Surfing Club booth, the semi-naked surfer dude called out, "Hey, aren't you the son of Neptune? Perseus Jackson?"

"Hey, man." Percy lifted a hand in greeting as he checked out the surf booth. "Is this surf club for real? I mean, do we actually go out of camp to the beach?"

"Precisely," the surfer dude said. "The praetor grants us permission, and anyway, we're not the only club to do that. We might encounter some monsters outside, however, but that's an added challenge."

"Remember last year when Tim surfed on that serpent last year?" said a girl, manning the booth. "That was awesome."

The surfer dude turned to Percy. "Come on, man, do us a solid. Join our club."

Percy shook his head. "Regretfully, I can't do you a solid. But I can do you a liquid."

The two surfers guffawed as Annabeth smacked her forehead with one hand.

**So, if you had had any experiences in college or university that were memorable or which you'd like to see the characters in, do let me know! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Piper wasn't sure what to make of the blank half of the room and the untouched bed opposite hers. She had set up her side- pictures of her father, Jason and the rest of the seven had been tacked on the wall. She wanted to sit back and finally relish her first hour of not having to worry at all about any monster attacks before she went to find Jason, but she wouldn't like being interrupted by her roommate, who could walk in at any moment. At the same time, she could possibly be having the room to herself, and that could perhaps get a little lonely.

The window of Piper's dorm room at Mercury College, University of New Rome looked out onto a picturesque view of the college's sports grounds, and the main building of the university was in full view ahead, in all its Roman glory. Piper wasn't sure what drove her to pick up Communications; perhaps she just wanted to prove to her siblings and all other Aphrodite-skeptics that her charmspeak can be used for more than just flirting, winning verbal battles or bending others to her will. She envisioned herself as a public or motivational speaker, using her charmspeak to inspire others.

A knock on the door snapped her out of her reverie. A moment later, Jason walked in.

"Jason!" Piper was glad to at least see one familiar, non-intimidating Roman face. It appeared that a huge majority of the university students were still opposed to, or just uncomfortable with the idea of Greeks in the institute. And honestly, the Greeks weren't too comfortable themselves, either, but the university was the only 100% safe place. They'd already gone on a quest to save the world and nearly got killed a million times. The demigods weren't interested in spending their college days restless with the anticipation of monster attacks that may emerge out of nowhere.

Piper pulled the son of Jupiter into an embrace and kissed him. "What are you doing here? Aren't you running a booth or something at the freshers' fair?"

"Well, yeah, I need to get back to that immediately, but I had to see you first," Jason said, as they broke apart. He gestured at the room. "How are you finding the university?"

Piper shrugged. "It's good so far. Where are you staying?"

"Jupiter College," Jason said, grimacing. "Everyone there's making fun of me just because it was named after my dad."

"Have you seen Percy and Annabeth?"

"Oh, yes, they were at the fair." Jason's face fell. "They didn't want to join my club. Talking about clubs, you should check out the fair. You never know, you might find something you like."

Before Piper could reply, there was another knock at the door, before it opened a crack. A familiar face peeked in.

"Um, so..." said Katie Gardner.

Piper blinked. "Katie?"

"Piper!" Katie stepped into the room, her eyes sweeping over Piper's side, and the bare area opposite. "You're my roommate?"

"_You're_ my roommate?"

Katie beamed. "Well, they told me I would be sharing with a Greek..." She cringed at the word. "Sorry, I'm still getting used to being called that around here."

Piper heaved an inaudible sigh of relief. Well, at least she wouldn't be sharing with a complete stranger. Jason, however, shifted uncomfortably. "I'll see to it that this whole 'Greek' thing is diminished as soon as possible. And well, now I need to get back to the booth. See you later, Pipes."

"The booth?" Katie asked, as Jason walked out after giving Piper a quick kiss.

"Freshers' fair," Piper said, smiling slightly.

"Freshers' fair! I need to get to that, I heard from some Ceres kid that this university's botany club is the best in the whole of New Rome!" Katie squealed, before dashing out of the room.

"Probably because it could be the only one," Piper muttered under her breath. At the same time, she was in better spirits as she continued gazing out the window.

#

There was hardly a time when New Rome was dark; torches and lamps along the streets illuminated the Roman settlement and gave a warm glow to the view of the aqueducts, villas and the temples on Temple Hill.

"I didn't know New Rome would be so beautiful at night," Hazel whispered.

"Well, we legionnaires had to stick to a tight schedule," said Frank. "But yeah, I suppose this view does make it hard to believe that this was all modeled after a civilization where bloodbaths, battles and assasination were common."

"Frank, did you really have to bring that up?"

Frank shook his head. "Sorry, it's this whole praetor thing, it's getting to me."

Hazel stepped closer to Frank and tentatively looped her arm around his. "You will be a great praetor, Frank. I believe in you."

Frank suddenly lost all appreciation for the lights as he was certain they did not cover his blush. "Thanks, Hazel."

They continued their stroll through the city.

#

"What do you mean you have to drop out of high school?" Will asked.

Nico sighed, trying to avoid looking straight into those blue eyes that always seemed to unnerve him. "Well, apparently I'm needed over at New Rome, as the Ambassador of Pluto, for some official business. And it's going to be pretty long, so Reyna suggested I move to New Rome as well, and attend high school there."

"They have a high school there?"

"They have a university, what makes you think they wouldn't have a high school?"

Will took a step back. "When will you come back?"

Nico shrugged. "I'm not sure." He grimaced. "This whole Ambassador stuff... I don't know what else they want with me, but maybe it has something to do with the Greeks now being allowed to settle in New Rome. It won't be for good, I'll definitely come back to camp. I didn't redecorate the entire Hades cabin just to move out of it."

"But you'll be gone for a pretty long time, nonetheless, to the point that you have to drop out of high school here," Will pointed out.

Nico nodded.

Will sighed. Nico couldn't help but feel a little moved at the disappointed look on Will's face. "Do you think I could attend their high school as well?" the son of Apollo asked, his eyes alighted with new hope.

Nico frowned. "I'm not sure. The rules are still pretty tight, despite everything. Greeks can attend the university, but not the high school. Not yet, at least, Reyna and Frank are working on that. I'm an exception. It's the old Romans- the ones who've been living in New Rome for years and generations. They're a little... conservative. The only upside to my stay is that Hazel will be there."

The hope vanished from Will's eyes as he nodded. "Well, that's... enjoy your time, there, Nico."


	5. Chapter 5

Percy clutched his head in his hands, staring at the diagrams of marine animals in his textbook, his mind stubbornly refusing to process anything. How could he have thought that being a son of Poseidon would make this subject any easier?

Pushing aside the textbook, Percy pulled up a notebook he kept for Latin classes. The Greeks were required to take Latin classes at the university, even those who had studied it in high school.

"Well, that's the first time you've set aside a book and not immediately leave your seat," Annabeth said, observing from her own desk next to his. "Usually you'd get up and take a walk or something."

Percy stood up.

"I spoke too soon," Annabeth said.

Percy hurried over and gave Annabeth a quick kiss. "I'll be right back," he said, before grabbing his coat and walking out of the house.

It wasn't seven yet, so most of the stores in New Rome were still open. Percy strolled along, watching families of modern Romans dine in restaurants and cafes, head to the amphitheatre or merely hang out around the province. Percy still felt dizzy from his success of surviving and ending the war, and living in New Rome with Annabeth, where they were guaranteed asylum from monsters.

That evening, however, there were other matters on his mind.

Percy slumped down onto a bench, watching an elderly Roman couple walk by with their granddaughter. He lifted his head slightly to see the silhouette of the domes of the university in the distance, and groaned slightly.

Despite being the son of Poseidon, Percy found out he couldn't stand marine biology. It was cool talking to the fish and all, but studying them? He didn't think he could cope with it anymore, and there was only one way out, but he was afraid of disappointing both Annabeth and his parents. He remembered his mother and stepfather's proud faces on the day of his high school graduation, and how they were so sure he was going to be successful. Annabeth had been pretty glad when he decided he would continue his education.

Could he just drop out now?

"Hello, Percy."

Percy's heart did a somersault, as he leaped to his feet and reached into his pocket for Riptide, before noticing the praetor standing before him, rolling her eyes.

"Well, at least you still have your battle reflexes, despite having enjoyed the security New Rome affords," said Reyna. She was dressed informally, only in a t-shirt and jeans, without all the fancy regalia she usually wore on duty. "That's good. We Romans admire that."

"Good to see you, too, Reyna," Percy said, flopping back down onto the bench. "Aren't you afraid, wandering about at this hour, unarmed? Wasn't Julius Caesar assassinated?"

"What's wrong?" Reyna inquired after his forlorn demeanor, with no regard to his latter comment.

"Uni stuff, that's all."

"You don't like the university? I heard Annabeth got the scholarship named after me, and that you both share some premium accommodation?"

"It's a nice house," Percy said. "That's not the matter, though. I just happen to be thinking of dropping out."

"Well, that wouldn't be very Roman of you," Reyna said. "We Romans believe in..."

"Yes, yes, I know you believe in commitment and whatnot," Percy said, receiving some rather annoyed stares from several passers-by who clearly disapproved of his tone. They bowed slightly in Reyna's direction before shooting him one last glare and hurrying off. "But it doesn't seem like I'm cut out for marine biology. Yes, I'm the son of Poseidon. No, it's all still like Old Norse."

"You could switch courses," Reyna suggested.

"Doesn't seem like there's anything else I can switch to."

After a short pause, Reyna said, "Well, I figure I can help start up a new faculty in the university. A faculty of Classics. It exists in many universities outside of New Rome, but not here. That's because it involves Ancient Greece, and Greeks, so it's been banned for some time here."

"Studying Ancient Greek shouldn't be a problem," Percy said. "And regarding Ancient Greece? Please, I pretty much wrote a book on the Greek gods and heroes a few years ago, mainly because a publisher in New York asked me to. It's even named after me, _Percy Jackson's Greek Gods_."

"Never heard of it," Reyna said, shortly. "But yes, I believe I can, and I think it'll be a pretty wise move as well, seeing how we're having an influx of Greek migrants into New Rome."

"It sounds bad when you put it that way," Percy said.

Reyna slowly lowered herself onto the bench. "You know, it is getting a little bad," Reyna said. Her voice had dropped to a loud whisper. "The number of campers from Camp Half Blood entering Camp Jupiter is high, and a lot of Romans are displeased. Some have not even forgiven the Argo II's attack."

"That wasn't..."

"I know it wasn't Leo's fault," Reyna said, a little impatiently, though there was a slight tinge of melancholy to her tone. "I've granted him a... posthumous pardon, anyway. I'm only confiding this in you because you used to be praetor. Frank and I are trying to diffuse the situation, and we're trying all sorts of measures to properly unite Greeks and Romans. Nico would be arriving in a few days, being the Ambassador of Pluto and a son of Hades."

#

"You did what?"

Percy grinned at the look of surprise on Annabeth's face. "Switched courses, that's all," he said. "You know I was having problems with marine biology."

"Yes, but... Are you sure about this? Taking Latin and Greek? Studying 'mythology'? What are the career prospects?"

Percy thought about it. "I could be a teacher, like Chiron, when he was undercover at Yancy. A mythology teacher." Percy's green eyes gleamed. "And besides, I was thinking... ya know, since I am dyslexic, and I know how hard it can be, I could help dyslexic kids cope as well, being a teacher. As opposed to what I went through in school. ADHD, too."

Annabeth smiled. "I love you, Seaweed Brain," she said, pulling him into a hug.


End file.
